One Last Candle
by Calliope693
Summary: The world is coming to an end?Don’t panic!A saviour who doesn’t know about his mission, a naïve young warrior, an old grumpy bot, and two boisterous twins are here to save the day!…Okay, you can panic now!Full summary inside.
1. Chapter 1: Escaping Hell

**One last candle**

**Disclaimer:** Everything that doesn't have an owner, belongs to me.

**Story Summary:** Post 07 and 09 movies, slightly AU. This takes place more than a century after the second movie. Megatron returned with overwhelming forces, attacking the Autobots as they were able to find another way to revive their planet. Some time later, the tyrant managed to kill Optimus Prime, while his Decepticons scattered all over the newly-revived Cybertron, causing mayhem and destroying anyone who tried to defy them. However, Megatron's reign didn't last long, as Starscream finally managed to overthrow him, casting the planet into chaos. The Autobots' only hope lays in the hands of a young mech and a prophecy, told them by Primus' angel. The young mech, known as 'the Saviour', will have to overcome his cockiness and bypass the obstacles that stand in his way towards redemption. A fantasy adventure full of suspense and humour, with a lot of fluff, a teaspoon of action, and a hint of romance!

**Chapter Summary:** Two mysterious figures are running from the Decepticons, and heading to a place named the 'Gate'. En route, they are blocked by their pursuers, and forced to split: one of them, injured, stays and fights the Decepticons, while the other runs, carrying all their hopes and sacrifices with her.

**A/N:** This is a new piece and doesn't have anything to do with the other fanfics I'm working on. It is movieverse-based, but it'll have G1 and IDW comics influences. I know I shouldn't write another story, but this idea just refused to leave me alone! Damn plot bunnies!!!!

**Beware:** I am not English, so please, forgive any misspelling/grammar errors.:)

Enjoy. ;-)

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**Chapter 1: Escaping Hell**

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The night was cold and silent, barely lit by a half moon, partially hidden behind dark clouds. There was a huge forest in which the frail rays bounced off, not daring to illuminate the trees too much. Everything was still, asleep in the dampness, small puffs of vapour escaped the trunks as they tried to keep themselves as warm as possible. Nothing stirred and nothing moved.

Suddenly, lightning flashed over the forest, as two shadows soared above the giant trees. There was the roar of powerful engines disturbing the calmness of the slumbering nature, and the unmistakable noise of laser-guns going off and missiles exploding.

"Slag it! They're on us!" A masculine voice, coming from a green and yellowish Apache helicopter, muttered under his breath, though his companion could not hear him above the noises of the small army behind them.

"They're not giving up!" An alarmed feminine voice, coming from the magenta F-22 Raptor that was fighting alongside the green helicopter, yelled back, as the jet dodged some oncoming missiles, and whipped around to try and shoot the twenty pursuers off their tails.

"You know, I _adore_ that move!" the green helicopter chuckled, as the magenta jet aligned with him again.

"Let's hurry up! The Gate should be nearby." That said, the two increased their speed.

The area behind them brightened a bit thanks to the light cast by the jet's engine. Though, due to the large number of missiles exploded, a thick haze of smoke hampered visibility, making it impossible to see if the Decepticons were still following them. Turning his scanners back to the pursuers behind them, the helicopter realized with horror that they not only didn't give up the chase, but they had _almost_ caught up with them.

"Aargh!" The green Apache grunted, after being hit by a Null-ray. Black smoke curled around his rotor, causing him to slowly descend to the ground.

"SPRINGER!!" his companion screamed, as she heard the ground-shaking noise he made when he hit the dirt. The F-22 shot forward, performing the first half of a loop, and, when she was completely inverted, she rolled to the upright position, and released other four missiles, that exploded on the Decepticons with a shrapnel effect.

Whipping around once more, she descended to reach her fallen comrade. Transforming and landing more or less where she saw Springer crashing onto, the femme ran through the darkness. Twisting and turning her head and body, ignoring the higher branches of the trees that were hitting her armour, she whispered her companion's name to locate him and avoid being heard by their pursuers; she knew there were ground troops as well.

A faint groan brought her attention on a sparkling spot somewhere on her left. She ran to her fallen comrade, and knelt next to him, as excess heat escaped her lips, something akin to what happened to humans' breath when the temperature was very low.

"Springer," she called softly, looking him over for injures.

He was sprawled on his stomach, face down, and she could see a sparkling fresh hole on his left shoulder blade, where his rotary assembly rested. The femme smiled ironically, without any real joy, as she noticed that it was thanks to the leaking Energon if she could find her comrade. She winced as she tried to touch the spot, and a jolt of electricity hit her fingers.

Springer's head looked up at her, and dimming blue optics met dark red ones. He blinked a few times, and gasped silently at the sight. Her big, crimson red optics lit a bit of her white face, casting a bloody shadow on her childish features. He struggled to turn and sit up, and she helped him by snaking her white hand on his back, being careful not to touch his wound. He could barely see her silhouette in the blackness, and scolded himself when a shadow of dread passed on his optics upon seeing hers glowing in the dark. If she took note of his fear, she didn't say anything, but that didn't stop him from cringing; she was here to help him, at the risk of her own safety.

Pushing those thoughts to the back of his CPU, Springer squinted his damaged sight in order to find her hands. He was aware that one still rested on his back, but he couldn't feel the other on him. Deciding that her left hand was resting on her crouched knee, he took out a small bundle from his subspace, and pushed it in her free hand, thanking whoever painted her hands white, because they were well visible in the night.

"Take it and go!" Was all he said, and her optics lowered to look at what he had given her.

Red mechanical eyes widened upon seeing the small bundle, and looked up, staring into the soft blue hues of Springer's optics. "What?"

"Take the Matrix. Find the Saviour. Our lives depend on this!" he replied forcefully, repressing a painful hiss.

"What about you?" she protested. The F-22 didn't want to leave Springer behind to deal with the Decepticons on his own, although knowing very well that the other Autobot was capable of taking care of himself. She looked silently at Springer, red optics meeting blue pleadingly, begging him not to ask her to leave him.

"I'd just slow you down." He shook his head. The femme hesitated still, her spark pulsing with anxiety. "Go, Skyblade!" Springer commanded, removing her hand from his back, and shoving the jet in the direction they were heading to before his crash-landing.

That surely shocked her. Springer had never called her by her name, and that was enough to jolt her out of her trance. He had always tried to avoid referring directly to her, never called her by her real designation, but often coming up with nicknames. She couldn't blame him; after all, with a past like hers, she could accept the wary looks, not only Springer, but other Autobots were casting at her. But that was a story for _another_ time.

Interpreting her silence for hesitation and concern, he sighed, and smirked. "Don't worry. I've got better things to do tonight than die!" he winked.

That jolted her out of her thoughts completely. She nodded understandingly, then got up, and ran as fast as her tired systems allowed her, not looking back.

Springer summoned all his strength, and forced himself on his feet. He heard Skyblade's footfalls running in the opposite direction several Decepticons were landing on. But he paused when one sentence, escaping Skyblade's lips with a twinge of rebuking, reached his audio receptors: "That's a cheesy line!"

Springer frowned slightly, and shook his head in disbelief, as he let out a chuckle, and loaded his whole weaponry. The Decepticons were coming for him now. He had to buy Skyblade some time.

"Frag those Decepticons to the Pit!" He yelled, as the helicopter readied his cannons, targeting the approaching Decepticons, and opened fire, unleashing more firepower in twenty shortkliks than his enemies did in the twenty megacycles of hunting them down. Most Decepticons were completely obliterated, and those who weren't, were slashed as Springer took out his swords, and used them with deadly precision.

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Skyblade ran.

Springer told her to run, and she did it, carrying with her the hopes and sacrifices of her people. She could not fly and risk to be spotted, so running was her only option. _Why did they have to design me as a flyer? _She thought bitterly, as she kept on, wishing for an instant that she could be as fast as Blurr. The speedster's ability could come in very handy now.

Skyblade gritted her dental plates, and continued to run. She didn't stop when the sound of lasers and the squeaky friction of metal on metal reverberated in her audio receptors. Instead, she kept on running, even when the pain spreading from her thrusters due to the abuse of being forced on the ground was making several of her functions seize up. She didn't stop even when she heard Springer's battle cry, or when she felt her spark being pierced by the fear of having lost yet another comrade. Regardless of the many branches and leaves that whipped across her body, sometimes tearing painfully a bit of her paint, she continued her mad dash through the darkness, her faceplate set in a line of exhaustion and determination.

_C'mon, Sky! You're almost there! Percy said it should be here._ Stopping briefly, panting heavily, she examined her surroundings. Not seeing anything but trees, she took out a small device, in which few numbers and strange symbols glowed. "C'mon, Percy…" she chanted, pointing the device this way and that, much like someone would do as they try to find signal on their mobile phone. "…Don't let me down…" she mumbled again, and the device started to crackle quietly.

She headed in the direction the small machine was pointing, remembering that Perceptor told her he was able to find the barrier's coordinates, although with some little miscalculation. At least that was what she thought the scientist said; he had kinda lost her after he greeted her, and gave her the device…

After several minutes, she was still running, though a bit slower, muttering under her breath. "When you reach the pine tree, turn left." She harrumphed. "There's only one problem, _Mr. Scientist_: this is a _pine tree_ wood!!" She stopped as she yelled lowly the last part.

Then she heard a noise. It was quiet at first, but it grew louder. It sounded like a heartbeat, but she knew better. Those were footfalls. Enemy footfalls coming straight at her. Skyblade held the bundle to her chest, and resumed her jogging once more. She never turned back, only kept going straight ahead, searching, looking for the barrier that would allow her to find the Saviour, their last hope.

All of a sudden, she felt her body smashing into something firm and hard. The force of the hit sent her falling on her aft with a startled gasp. The loud sound of metal meeting something harder, with the additional noise of sparks dancing from the friction, echoed painfully in her throbbing processor. Temporarily stunned and dizzy for the strike, the jet grabbed hold of her noseplate (the most delicate part of her that received the impact), rubbing at it gently, while forcing herself in a sitting position, and looking up.

What she saw made her optics widen in awe. Before her stood a weird sphere-like thing, which was trembling like the waters of a lake after someone threw a rock in them. Sure enough, she was face to face with what she was looking for. The barrier, or Gate, whose placid surface had been broken in small waves by her impact, was revealing itself at her, glowing slightly with its azure light.

Skyblade stood up, and prepared to punch in the code that would allow her entrance, when she stopped dead in her tracks, feeling a horrendous presence behind her. She froze, intakes working hard, her deep pants steaming in the cold, as her scanners tingled and became hyper sensitive as they detected the number of strangers standing directly behind her. With her Energon pounding in her audios, Skyblade turned, and met the heated crimson optics of her pursuer.

He was only partly visible, but she could make out perfectly his bulky, silver form, littered with sharp sheets, that gleamed in the feeble light, and added to his shining optics a hint of malice. His voice, low and silky, rumbled from his throat, as he let a sigh escape his lip components. "What a beautiful night to take a walk, isn't it?"

Skyblade didn't need him to talk to know who it was, and his voice, if anything, unnerved her. "Sideways." She growled, narrowing her optics to sharp slivers.

"Glad you remember me." He chuckled, exposing silver pointed dental plates, that looked much like fangs.

He was having some difficulty to see her in the dark; luckily, he knew what she was like, otherwise, with her standing in the shadows, signal dampened, he would have never been able to see her form, as it was oddly invisible, blending perfectly in the night.

While, technically, darkness was no limitation on his sight, Skyblade did have an uncanny habit of blending in until one least expected her to appear… and her, and many other flyers always complain how the light from their thrusters draws attention at night when they're trying to fly stealth!

The moonlight revealed only a small part of her, such as her wings, her sharp elbows, and her slender legs, all the parts of her frame that were painted white or silver. Few shy rays of the moon illuminated slightly the golden cockpit that rested on her abdomen, mainly feature of any Seeker, just like the twin Null-ray cannons that seemed to gleam menacingly at him in the moonlit night.

There was the classic pause to study one's adversary, before anyone of them made a move; a pause full of silent roaming of optics on the opponents, and their surroundings. Shifting her optical sensors to each side of her, Skyblade had to fight back a disgusted snort, as she took in the hideous creatures that accompanied her enemy. She could count twelve of them, but she wasn't sure if there were others behind.

They were called Swarms. They were animals, barbarians, not particularly intelligent, nothing but an obscene and twisted defilement of Insecticon clones, horrifyingly misshaped into one monstrosity. She had heard somewhere that the Swarms should be killed as an act of mercy. Now, even though Skyblade was never willing to take a life, she found hard to argue with that logic.

The Swarms were large, grotesque-looking beings, that really didn't seem like they were one, specific type. They had two, bird-like legs, strong arms that ended with four claws, one orange optic bigger than the other, two ant-like mandibles, and fangs that protruded from their mouths. Their horrendous bodies were black and made of metal, standing at a pretty decent height, they were littered with orange protuberances and tubes; their limbs were purple, while two white sheets, that seemed like the wings of a fly, jutted from their backs.

From their lipless mouths, a greenish substance was dripping steadily and profusely, landing at their feet. Where the strange stuff hit the ground, it hissed and bubbled, corroding every life form that inhabited the dirt.

Sideways snapped Skyblade out of her thoughts. "Okay, I know you won't give me the Matrix, and I won't give up, so I'd say we skip the part in which I give you the opportunity to surrender: it's obvious you won't take it, anyway." He shook his head, then yelled at the monsters that were with him. "Get her!"

Skyblade narrowed her optics, and her right hand reached for the tip of her wing. In one swift move, she detached her wings, and threw them like a boomerang to the approaching creatures.

"DUCK!!" Sideways yelled, as he crouched, barely avoiding the huge weapon. He was forced to remain like that a moment longer, when he heard the whooshing of the wings, as they came back to their mistress.

Skyblade's wings reattached themselves to her back, and she watched as Sideways raised on his feet again, a confident smirk lit by the moon showed off his fangs again.

"Your aim is a bit screwed," he taunted.

Skyblade merely tilted her helm to the side. "You think?"

The Decepticon was slightly disturbed by her attitude, and immediately his audio receptors picked up the sound of a tree falling, and rolling down towards them. As he turned, he noticed that they were at the base of a rather tall hill, then he realized that many other trees had been cut down by Skyblade's formidable weapon, and were now making their way to crush them.

"SLAG!" Sideways dove to the side to avoid a falling tree.

His new position did nothing to improve his situation, for he now had three trees to dodge. He muttered a colourful dose of expletives as he barely avoided getting crushed by another pine, and watched as his small army was not that lucky. Sideways tried to turn to Skyblade, only to have to dive out of the way once again, as another tree fell directly in his path, _almost_ on top of him.

Angrily, he whipped around to lunge at Skyblade once again, but paused to see what she was doing. The femme was punching furiously at a series of small buttons to enter the code that would allow her to pass through the Gate. Screeching in anger, Sideways ran towards her, followed by the survived Swarms, as a door-like panel shifted and opened, and she ducked inside.

Her body was pushed by another. Its clawed hands started to wrap around her arms securely, as they tumbled down what seemed another hill. Grunts sounded through the air, one being female, the other male. As they rolled down the slight incline, a strange jolt hit them both, causing the hands to release her arms, that immediately held the envelop tighter.

Soon, Skyblade landed alone, none too gracefully, in a small stream that was obviously on the bottom of the hill. The water where she landed was only a few inches deep, but it was _very_ cold, and she felt it seep into herself.

Skyblade groaned, and onlined her optics. She only had few seconds before her diagnostic systems started ringing in her head, laying down the list of damaged systems and programs that ranged from '_major damage' _to '_critical situation'_. Skyblade's scowl got deeper as the list went on, and settled to a slight frown as she realized that her Energy Levels were the part of her that looked in better conditions, being at 70% of their capability.

Raising on all fours, ignoring the fact that her _whole _body ached hard, Skyblade looked around, and saw a surprisingly big hill – the one she had rolled down from, she presumed – and several huge trees. Well, at least her night vision still worked. Her body was beaten, scratched, and bruised, but still functioning. The magenta Seeker groaned again, and sat up, holding her head in one hand.

Something was wrong.

Instead of hard metal, her hand was caressing a wet, soft material. Gasping, she leaned down to take a good look at herself in the stream. The stars were twinkling in the sky as they looked from their thrones down upon the young _human_ woman staring in the placid, cold water. Her long, blond hair slid down her shoulders, and veiled her from the rest of the world.

Skyblade blinked once, then twice, and then sighed. She was currently in a human pretender, but, at least, she was still online. Judging by the small envelop between her knees, she still had the Matrix. And, judging by the growls and groans she heard, she _still_ had company…

"Oh… slag!"

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**A/N: **Hope you liked it! Don't worry if it's a bit confusing… those of you who know my style, know that everything will be explained in due time. Um… yes, Skyblade is my OC and she is Seeker-like, but don't worry, in later chapters I'll describe her properly… oh, and her story? All in due time!;-) So… any questions? Thanks for reading/reviewing. Here's a small preview for next chapter:

**Chapter 2 summary:** While running from Sideways and his minions, Skyblade passes out, and meets Dave 'Dorifuto' and his family. Not too thrilled by the meeting, she continues on with her mission.

Until next time… See ya! ;-)


	2. Chapter 2: Across The Divide

**Disclaimer:** Everything that doesn't have an owner, belongs to me.

**Previously:** Springer and Skyblade ran away from the Decepticons, but the first got injured, and gave the powerful artefact known as the Matrix to Skyblade, ordering her to find the Saviour. On her way through the 'Gate', she gets blocked by Sideways, but before he can retrieve the Matrix, Skyblade crosses the barrier, taking the Decepticons with her.

**Chapter summary:** While running from Sideways and his minions, Skyblade passes out, and meets Dave 'Dorifuto' and his family. Not too thrilled by the meeting, she dismisses them, and continues with her mission.

**A/N: **Thank you for reading/reviewing this fic! You really make my day!! On with the story.

Enjoy! ;-)

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**Chapter 2: Across The Divide**

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The calm of the green forest was interrupted by the whooshing sound of a well sharpened blade. A young man in his early-twenties wielded a katana, producing the treble whistle that dared to interrupt the nature's peace, as it cut the wind.

The youth, going by the name of Dave, effortlessly towered over most men, being at a height of 6". He wasn't even the tallest in his family. His father stood at a gruelling 6"6'. He was even used to be considered the most handsome man by many women living in his small village.

His muscular form, wrapped in a white, long-sleeved shirt, slightly baggy, dark green pants, and brown boots, moved swiftly and perfectly along with the sword. He could feel his waist-long, silver-white hair undoing itself from the loose braid his mother made. Dave knew his mother loved to play with his hair, always fastening it into the loose braid starting in-between his shoulder blades, and tying the bottom of it with a small black ribbon.

He could feel tiny beads of sweat starting to form under his fringe, but he didn't care, as he kept on swinging the blade with skills, while other white bangs fell on his eyes. All that mattered to him right now was his sword.

It was light and fast, but firm, and Dave felt immediately as one with the weapon. Pausing briefly to examine it, he passed his fingers over the smooth metal, before charging at the logs he had to cut for his family. The blade went through them as if they had been mere butter.

He couldn't help but smirk, as he went to gather up the logs, which, by the way, were at least a week's worth of firewood… chopped in one swing! He felt immensely proud of what he'd done. The weapon had been given him by his father, the master blacksmith in his small village.

Since Dave had always been interested in his father's job, he decided his son was mature enough to have his own weapon. The thin, sharp blade seemed meant for him.

Holding his breath, Dave looked at the katana, and found his piercing blue eyes reflecting on the bright, polished surface of the sword. The blade was faultless, and the sunrays of midmorning reflected on the sharpened edge.

There was his affectionate nickname carved on the metal: Dorifuto. He really didn't know why his parents gave him that nickname. His father always said his mother liked it, and it reminded her of her Japanese origins. Dave didn't mind at all. On the contrary. He felt that his nickname suited him in a way. He wasn't sure how or why, but he liked it.

"Amazing!" Dave breathed, talking to no one in particular, as he waved the katana again, astonished at its lightness.

"Too bad I'm going to be stuck here forever…" he trailed off. Yes, the urge to find something more, something interesting, an adventure maybe, was his constant thought. But then again, wasn't that the bee in every young man's bonnet? Dave sighed, as he glanced at his horse.

The animal barely spared a glance at him, in between chewing its meal. The big black eyes of the grey-furred horse regarded their owner with what seemed a patronizing and annoyed expression. Was it even possible?

Dave chuckled, as he sheathed the sword, and bent to gather up the rest of the logs. Once he settled them in a bag and loaded it on his horse, the young man undid the braid in his hair, running a hand through his silver locks, letting them flow down his back like he liked it. However, he opted for the usual low ponytail he wore every time he needed his hair out of his eyes.

"Okay, Lesley." He called the horse, as he took the reins, and readied himself to ride back home. "Let's go."

But his horse had different ideas. In fact, the animal merely stood still, but her neck and head were high and alert, as she tried to identify strange noises with her pointed ears. Dave patted Lesley's neck, trying to figure out why his loyal friend wasn't moving.

"Hey, what's wrong?" he cooed, still patting gently the horse's neck.

The black deep eyes of the horse stared back at him with a look that said 'did you hear that?'. Dave blinked twice, then glanced at where Lesley's ears were focusing. At first, he didn't see anything, but then he started to hear a dull sound, that began to rise in volume, until he could identify rapid footfalls going towards the edge of the cliff.

Dave jumped off Lesley's back, and scooted closer to the trees, one hand brushing the black hilt of the sword on his left hip. As he saw that there was a large group of people running, his other hand reached the other katana hanging at his side. Yes, his father gave him two swords; in fact, Dave was the only one in his small village who was able to wield two swords at the same time. He even helped sometimes at the local fencing school, as his mother wished.

Turning back to the present and looking closer, he could see a young woman, about his age, running from at least ten men. She was tall, almost as tall as him if he was not wrong, and had a slender but muscular body. She was wearing a magenta, square-necked coat with silver lapels and short sleeves; it reached her mid-calf, and it was blowing around her as she ran. Underneath the floating cloth, she was wearing tight, white, leather trousers, and silver boots, with a light blue stripe, that reached her knees, which were guarded by small metal armour plates. At her hips, she had a loose, light blue, large belt with two sabers. A pair of white gloves, that reached her mid-upper arm, and left her fingers uncovered, tied only at the base of her middle-finger, topped off her outfit.

But what was really strange about the girl was her hairdo, it being at different lengths. She had long, blond hair that brushed her lower back, and some of it had been cut to her chin and dyed light blue. Her face was a perfect heart-shape, and on her left eye she had a long, black lock that fell down on her chest. Two small, blond pigtails were tied at each side of her head, and looked remotely like flowers with four petals.

The girl was forced to a sudden halt, when she reached the edge of the cliff they were running on. She turned around, and did something that left Dave speechless.

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Skyblade stopped at the cliff's edge, and glanced down. It sure was a long drop, with only rocks and trees to stop the fall. Not good. She couldn't fly either. Not in this form at least.

Turning slowly, she faced her pursuer, him too in a human pretender. From what his black leather pants and long coat exposed, everyone could tell Sideways had the body of an athlete: strong, muscled and defined. His appearance wasn't unpleasant, though that handsomeness spoke of volumes of sinister nature, and everyone could tell that by how his eyes shone: red as fresh spilled blood. His long, spiky hair fell on his left shoulder, reaching his chest, and covering a bit of the skin his silver and red shirt left uncovered. On his tights he had several throwing knives, and two swords were strapped on his back.

Shifting her eyes to look at the Swarms, Skyblade cringed. They too were disguised: they seemed human, but only in the sense that they had two legs, two arms and one head. Their bodies were covered from head to toe by black robes, and armour pieces, with even their heads and faces hidden under black hoods.

Taking advantage by the fact that she _seemed_ distracted, Sideways took out one of the swords that rested on his back, and charged at her. With her finely tuned scanners, senses, and reflexes, Skyblade caught the sword meant for her chest.

"Bad move," she growled monotonously.

Not letting go of his wrist, she spun into his body so her back met his front. She levered all of her weight forward, and used her grip on his wrist to throw her opponent to the ground. Skyblabe finally twisted his arm behind his back, forcing him to let go of the sword, and placed a foot between his shoulder blades to keep him still.

"Don't just stand there! Take her!!" Sideways yelled from under Skyblade's boot.

As one of the horrible creatures approached her, intent on stabbing her with the claws that jutted from its gloves, Skyblade pulled out her sword in a diagonal motion, and sliced the Swarm in mid lunge across its chest. The strength she put on the blow forced it to pivot in the air before falling on the ground.

When another Swarm tried to attack her, she had to duck, and loose the grip on Sideways' wrist, until she had to let it go completely, and start an one-on-one duel.

However, as the Swarm and the Seeker exchanged blows, Skyblade made sure to step on Sideways' back (and put much weight on her footing), and the Swarm, since it couldn't think about anything else beside its fight, ended up stepping painfully on its commander too.

"OW! Watch were you step on!" Sideways whined from his sprawled position on the ground.

The Swarm reached for Skyblade's weapon, and managed to catch her wrist, making it impossible for her to wield the sword properly, then it caught the other wrist, preventing her from grabbing the second blade she carried. Skyblade brought her knee up in a short but powerful kick to the chin. Effectively unbalancing her capturer, she forced it to loose its grip.

Without wasting more time, Skyblade took out her second saber and turned both swords so that their hilts were facing each other, and connected the weapons to one another. The hilt was rusty-brown and made of intertwined leather, while the crossbar and the pommel were gold, and the latter also had a ruby embedded in it. Its form was quite curious indeed: it was a perfect half circle, surrounded by thick gold. Once Skyblade reunited the two sabers, it was clear that the ends of the hilts were shaped that way to connect themselves like the pieces of a puzzle.

The weapon, that now looked like a straight S because of the slightly curvy blades, was waiting patiently in Skyblade's hand. A split second later, she threw the two connected swords that flew pivoting in the air, much like a boomerang, striking all the Swarms that still remained.

Surprise coloured Sideways' face as he dived away from the weapon. Gritting his teeth, he took out one of his daggers, and threw it at Skyblade's feet. The girl jumped out of the way in time, but missed her returning weapon, and started to run after it. But the swinging caused by Sideways' sword as he unsheathed it made her stop, and counter the oncoming attack.

Faster then he would have thought she could move, Skyblade reached out and grabbed his sword. She twisted it in her hand, plunged the blade into his solar plexus, and his face went blank.

They froze.

His crimson eyes went incredulously down to the hilt of **his** blade, which was soaking with **his** Energon, to the hands that held it in place, to the arms they were connected to, all the way to her serious red orbs.

"You know," his voice was low but even, "This would have killed a human."

"Since when is that your problem?" Her voice was just as low, though a frown graced her features.

He made a sound low in his throat, and then shifted his weight backwards. She surprised him again, as she pushed her weight forwards, until the pointed edge of the sword, that stuck out his back, connected with the tree behind him, then she let go of the blade, and took few steps back, her magenta lips curled up in a smirk.

His hands reached for the hilt, and he tried to move the sword, but it just stayed still where it was. His lip curled back into a snarl as anger made its way onto his face.

"You impaled me with my sword!" He said needlessly.

"Since when did you start to state the obvious?" She smirked at him, then went to pick up her weapon that had stuck itself in one of the trees.

She was about to take the double-swords, when a whistling filled the air. Skyblade jumped backwards in a flip, and was rewarded when the object hit the trunk instead of her.

She jerked her head, and noticed that Sideways finally managed to dis-impale himself, and made his way towards her with two other daggers. She quickly swung, and knocked one of the knives out of his hand. She flickered her right wrist, tearing the cloth wrapped around her arm, thus exposing a hidden curved blade, and lunged forward to stab him, as he spun while throwing out his leg to catch her in the back spin.

The move worked perfectly, and she was sent flying to the ground with an 'oomph'. He walked over to her cockily, as she struggled to get to her feet. "See what happens when you choose the wrong side?"

Skyblade greeted her teeth, as damage readouts began to flash across her eyes.

…_10% power remaining: stasis lock required…_

No! She refused to go offline! _Get up! Get up! Too many are counting on you! Skyblade. Get. UP!!_ Her processor screamed, but her body decided against it. She was not going to make it. Her systems would shut down soon, and she would be at Sideways' mercy.

When Sideways was practically looming over her, her hand instinctively tightened around the envelop tied at her waist. Panting heavily, and still unable to rise, she looked up at him, as he brought his sword higher than his head, readying to deliver the final blow.

"So long, traitor…" was all he said, as the blade slowly – at least for her – descended on her battered body.

There was the dull impact of metal on metal, as the blow was blocked by another sword. Skyblade's eyes, that closed once Sideways' weapon started to come down on her, snapped open, and widened upon seeing that another being had placed himself between them.

"Mind if I cut in?" the stranger with long white hair asked teasingly, increasing the weight on his katana to shove Sideways off balance.

The Decepticon stumbled a bit, before regaining his footing. "Who the slag are you?!" he snarled, pausing briefly to analyze the young man, and frowning when his scanners confirmed that he was just a _human_… something was odd about him.

"The name's Dave," the silver-haired man said, confidently twirling his weapon in one hand.

"Well, then…" Sideways smirked, falling into an en guard stance. "I'm the last being you'll see."

They both yelled, and lunged forward. Dave parried the blow; since the beginning, it was clear that Sideways tried to push though his parry with raw strength, but Dave impressively managed to hold his own. They went on like that, until Dave forced Sideways on the defence, and watched astonished as he nimbly sprang back and forth to stay away from harm's reach, working his way up the trees that stood around them.

The silver-haired young man stared dumbfounded at the other's aerial grace, snapping out of it only a moment to avoid a close collision with a throwing knife aimed to his neck. Dave stumbled back and smiled grimly, panting heavily. He was good… very good. But he didn't let the man's impressive skills faze him.

"I'm afraid you'll have to do better than that!" he said, getting en guard again.

"So will you!" Landing gracefully, Sideways flicked the index and middle fingers of one hand toward himself, as if to say 'bring it on', and Dave took the challenge.

The two sparred a bit more, before Sideways knocked Dave's sword from his hand, getting him off balance. The boy didn't fall only because a black gloved hand wrapped around the collar of his shirt, fisting it and keeping him on his feet… face to face with those bloodthirsty red eyes.

Horror lit his face as Dave stared almost frightened into those crimson depths. "So long!"

Just as the boy felt his eyes couldn't close in front of his imminent death, a deadly beam of energy sliced through the air. Catching something bright shining in his peripheral vision from somewhere behind him, Dave gasped, and tilted his head to the left, protecting his ear from getting singed as the energy raced past him, and finally closed his blue orbs in a last attempt to shield them.

The heat from the intense light, and the smell of sulphur from slightly burnt hairs assaulted his senses as the hot ray shot past him. His blue orbs blinked rapidly trying to get his sight back, awakened by a scream of agony, as the red beam of energy, that almost clipped his right ear, pierced through the black haired man, sending him rolling down the hill. He was still too shocked to register the fact that he had hit the ground once Sideways let go of him to fall down the cliff. He watched astonished, laying on his back and elbows, as the impact of the blast washed over him, and wore off like a brutal caress.

Getting over his shock, Dave turned his head enough to see the panting girl standing with her arm outstretched in front of her, holding a smoking silver weapon he had never seen before.

_Energy level: 3%_

_Stasis lock imminent…_

She gritted her teeth, muttering something he didn't really understand, and her frame went lax. With a grunt, she fell to both knees, before the rest of her body joined them, landing softly on the dirt.

***~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~***

"I thought I told you to collect wood, not a woman!" Dave's father glared between him and the girl.

"Dad, I told you. It wasn't my fault. She was being chased by at least ten men. I had to help her!" Dave countered, and explained.

"Oh, poor thing!" his mother cooed, glancing at the still form on their couch.

She lay on her back, her face tilted to the side on a pillow, eyes closed, chest rising and falling rhythmically, and to all outward appearances, fast asleep. Only another Autobot, or a Decepticon, with their keen sensors, would have been able to tell that she wasn't. She was aware of her surroundings, but, since her sensors didn't pick up anything life-threatening, Skyblade's processor opted for a recharge that would allow her systems to fix, though keeping a vigil 'optic' on what was happening.

"Poor thing?!" Dave's father sputtered. "We know nothing about her! What if she's dangerous?"

"Aw, you're so dramatic!" his wife scoffed.

"No, I'm not. I'm gonna call the guards."

They walked away in another room, still bickering, leaving a sighing Dave with the sleeping girl. The young man ran a hand through his white locks, before looking at the table where they put the girl's belongings.

Aside for the strange silver weapon she used, Dave found fascinating the twin sabers she had. They were well sharpened, bright and polished. At the base of the blade, some strange glyphs were carved. The decoration on the crossbar and hilt spoke of wealth and elegance. But what really caught his eye was the enveloped thing. He didn't know why, but he was feeling drawn to it, like a moth to the flame. When he was about to examine it further, the young woman stirred and muttered something, bringing his attention on her.

Dave watched the girl, letting go of his curiosity concerning the envelop to take a good look at her. He noticed that her magenta coat was made of velvet, the weave of the fabric was fine and smooth, and had silver satin running on the lapels, on the hem, and on the end of the short sleeves. The square-necked cloth was tied on her breast with a brooch, which had two gold triangles with curvy edges at each side of a circle, with a sapphire embedded in it.

His eyes fell on the wrist, which held the hidden blade, now well visible through the tore cloth covering her arm. Without noticing, his blue orbs roamed over her whole figure, taking in details he didn't pick up at first, like her brooch, and the small sheaths of the strange silver weapons, which were tied on both tights by three, thin, black belts.

Another stir brought his attention to her face. Her lips were closed in what seemed a frown. Only now did Dave realize that on the right side of her forehead, just above her thin eyebrow, there was a crescent moon shaped scar. It was quite strange; but then again, nothing about this girl felt normal.

Dave really regretted what he did next. As curiosity took hold, he moved in closer to her, taking in more details in the process. It was at the point when he was only an inch or so away from her face that her systems screamed at the invasion of personal space. She reacted on pure instinct: her eyes snapped open, and she slapped the invader so hard he actually saw his ancestors waving merrily at him.

Dave backed away with a large red mark on his cheek. The shock and pain on his face made him forget, or rather, not lingering on the fact that her eyes were now widely open, and they were an odd red colour, some shades lighter than Sideways'. He glared at the girl while rubbing the left side of his face.

"Ouch,"

Realising she had put too much strength in her hand, her eyes widened, and she blushed. Sitting straight on the couch, and trying to compose herself, her mouth opened and closed several times mimicking a fish, also because no sound came out of it.

The commotion brought Dave's parents in the living room again. Their faces were lit by surprise, and, for a moment, no one moved. Only few seconds later, Skyblade backed away, pressing her back against the couch, and bringing her knees defensively in front of her chest.

The two people that emerged from the nearby room were amazing-looking. The tallest man was thin yet well built, and had short, silver-white hair with few red locks that rested on his forehead, and went down on his sparkling green eyes. Must be where the boy who saved her got his amazing looks. He was wearing a dark orange shirt with long sleeves, light brown baggy pants, and a thick leather apron, the one used by smiths.

The woman too was very beautiful. She had kind blue eyes, and long, flowing ebony hair, with a small part of it tied in a bun, and she also had white silk flowers on the right side of her head. She barely reached the man's shoulder, and she was wrapped in a satin, lilac kimono, with small white blooms printed on the sleeves, and below the waist. To keep the cloth in place, she also had a large, green-brown sash, with geometrical red patterns.

Seeing her uneasiness and fear, the woman was quickly crouching down next to her, whispering soothing words. "It's okay. Don't worry. You're safe. We won't harm you."

"Looks like the feeling's not mutual," Dave muttered, as he walked back few steps to reach his father's side.

"Dave!" The woman, who seemed to be his mother, scolded. "I'm sorry about Dave. My name is Akiko."

Skyblade snapped out of her shocked state, and shook her head, "N-nice to meet you." She smiled kindly, relaxing visibly. "I'm… um… Skye… Blade…"

The woman seemed not to notice her hesitation, and continued, still smiling. "That is my husband."

"Richard." The man smiled down at her, though a bit wary, then moved and outstretched his hand for her to shake. "Pleased to meet you, little lady."

"Nice to meet you too." Skyblade 'Skye' smiled, taking the offered hand, and shaking it firmly.

There was the loud popping of bones as she shook the hand; Richard winced visibly, and let go, finding his large fingers to have been squeezed temporarily out of alignment.

"G-good grip…" he muttered, genuinely amused, and surprised.

Skyblade covered her mouth. "I'm sorry…"

"That's okay," Richard assured her, popping his fingers loudly to rearrange them.

Akiko cleared her throat, introducing the last inhabitant of the room. "And that," she pointed to the boy, who still was rubbing his sore cheek. "Is Dave, my son."

He snorted dismissively, ignoring the glares his parents were giving him.

"Nice to meet you, Dave." Skyblade sent him a grateful smile, but he did not return it. "And thank you for saving me."

He nodded curtly at her last words.

"Aw, you must be hungry," the woman said, and went in what appeared to be their kitchen, without waiting for a reply.

Akiko returned moments later with a steaming bowl in hand. She handed her the bowl of soup with vegetables, and Skyblade stared at it. The chopped vegetal stared back at her, and she had continued to just look at the soup, if Dave's mother hadn't stopped her.

"Don't worry, it's not poisoned."

Skyblade smiled sheepishly, scratching the back of her head with one hand, while holding the bowl with the other. _Is that what they were thinking I was doing?_ she cringed. What the girl was really doing was analyzing the organic stuff in order to understand if it could restore enough of her energy to let her continue her mission. As her scanners gave her affirmative answers, she started to eat.

Dave watched in a mild sort of fascination as she downed the bowl in two huge gulps, licking her lips afterward.

"You know," he couldn't stop himself. "That tastes better if you chew it."

Skyblade blinked at him, wiping some drops of the soup from around her mouth. His father elbowed him, while his mother smiled kindly at the foreign girl. Skyblade politely placed the empty bowl on the table where her belonging laid, sighing internally in relief as she saw that the envelop was still there.

"Now," Richard cleared his throat. "Could you tell us what you're doing here? I mean, you don't look from around here, and Dave said you were being followed by at least ten men."

"Richard!" Akiko scolded him for being so inquisitive, but surprisingly, Skyblade interrupted them.

"No, it's okay." She smiled, placing one hand on the woman's, who was still crouched near the couch. "You've been so kind with me. I don't how to thank you for your hospitality."

"You can start by telling us why those people were after you." Dave suggested, ignoring another heated glare his mother shot him.

Skyblade closed her eyes, making an odd whooshing sound as she sighed, almost as if she had vents instead of lungs. "Those people are no longer a threat for anyone." She started, though Dave had the impression that her answer was noncommittal. "You're right. I'm not from around here. I come from far away. And I'm here looking for someone."

"Who? Maybe we can help you." Akiko asked, smiling at her.

Skyblade returned the smile, but politely declined the offer; it wasn't fair involving innocent people more than they already were. "Thank you, but I've already abused your hospitality and kindness too much." She said as she stood.

Akiko watched her from the floor, before standing as well, seeing that the girl was taking her belongings back.

"Wait, that's not a problem for us-" she was stopped by her husband's hand on her shoulder. She looked over her shoulder questioningly, but Richard's gaze left no room for protests.

"Thank you again, but I don't really want to bother you," she insisted, sheathing her small silver weapon, then repositioning the envelop on the loose belt hanging on her hips. "And, this way, there will be no need to call any security officer."

"H-how…? We thought you were asleep…" Richard stammered awkwardly.

"You heard us?" Akiko asked, a bit more composed than him.

"You were bickering so loud," Dave rolled his eyes, "It was pretty impossible not hearing you." Though he covered up the fact that he himself thought that the girl was asleep, and slightly wondered for how long she had been awake.

Skyblade raised the double-swords, and gently bent the hilts, breaking the connection.

"Your weapon is… interesting…" Richard trailed off, and Dave was surprised to hear the comment escaping his father's lips and not his own.

"Thanks," She smiled, before sheathing both sabers, and turning to the people who gave her hospitality, expecting them to show her the exit.

Wordlessly, Richard pointed to the door on Skyblade's left, while Dave frowned thoughtfully at her and at what she had said.

"Again, my thanks." She bowed in front of Akiko, who returned the formal gesture, not finding it strange that the girl knew the manners of her native land, and outstretched her hand to shake Richard's once more.

The tall man hesitated and cringed, remembering what happened last time, and Skyblade blushed, scratching the back of her head with the said hand. "Oh, right. Forgive me, sometimes I forget to measure my strength."

The man awkwardly nodded, while the woman let out a small giggle, as the girl thanked them again, and walked out the door, not before biding a frowning Dave goodbye.

***~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~***

He didn't trust the girl. Dave didn't trust a word she said. That's why he was out here, following her silently, trying as he could not to make any sound that would give his presence away. After all, he saw what she did to the others that were chasing her down. This girl was dangerous and absolutely weird. That's why he preferred to let his parents out of this matter. Yep, that was it. Just to make sure she didn't do anything that could threaten him, his parents or his village. That was it… right?

Dave shook his head. It was all, wasn't it? He wasn't stalking a potential serial killer just because he knew that she was hiding something he felt strangely involved into.

Where that came from?

Dave shook his head again. He needed to clear his mind. He needed to focus on something else, or his head would explode. Too many things ran in his mind, too many questions unanswered. He needed the girl to give him some answers.

…And he also wanted a rematch for that slap!

Shifting his blue eyes to her, he noticed that she had stopped and was standing in a small clearing. Talking silently to herself – he was too far away to hear her properly – she took out the envelop, and started to unwrap the cloth. Dave almost let out a gasp upon seeing that what she was hiding was a small S-like object, probably made of metal, judging by the reflexes it had. But what really left him breathless, was the tiny light shining inside the item. It glowed with something strange and distant. Something that he should know, but didn't quite understand why.

Lost in his own thoughts, he didn't notice that the girl was readying herself to jump. Her legs tensed to spring, and Dave had about three seconds to register that fact, before she went airborne, leaping in the tree tops and disappearing from view.

Speechless, he exited his hiding place to stand where the girl was just seconds before. Nothing was left there to witness her presence. Not a snapped twig, not a broken leaf. Looking up at the trees she disappeared into, he noticed that she left no trace of her leaping there either. Nothing to tell that she had been there.

Defeated, he sighed and returned home. When he was near the windows on the living room's wall, he heard noises. As if his parents were talking, but not between each other; with another male voice. Tip-toeing to the first window, his back brushed the clay wall as he tried to make his way as soundless as possible.

"So, where did you say you come from?" he heard his father ask the stranger.

"Oh, I come from a far away place…" the stranger replied.

That voice was familiar. Against his better judgment, Dave took a peek. He almost fell over. That was the man that was after Skye! But he could have sworn he fell rolling down the cliff, after being hit by the girl's weapon.

His father was impassibly glaring at the man, who, luckily for Dave, had his back to the window. Akiko was standing beside her husband, also glaring at the stranger, a steaming teapot in her hands. At some point, her icy glare raised to the window, catching a glimpse of Dave's face. Caught, he put a finger on his lips, signalling her not to speak, while with his other hand he gestured for her to go into the kitchen.

"The tea!" she shouted, and both men gave her startled looks. "I need to warm this up. Please, excuse me." She lamely excused herself, but vanished in the kitchen, where Dave was waiting for her, before either of the men could question her further.

"What's he doing here?" Dave demanded through gritted teeth.

"You know him?!" Akiko asked startled.

"Mom, that's one of the men who was after Skye!"

Akiko gasped. "I thought so…" she raised a finger to her chin in a thoughtful way.

"What? What are you talking about?"

Akiko shook her head, biting her tongue. "Doesn't matter. We have to do something now,"

Dave smirked cockily. "Yeah, Don't worry. Call dad, and I'll do the rest." He smugly replied, taking out his sword.

"No." His mother placed her hand on her son's. "Let us handle him. Trust me. Go to Jerry's."

"Jerry? He's totally crazy." Dave snorted, but sheathed the sword.

"He'll know what to do." Akiko assured him.

"Mom, he talks with his owl! He thinks he married his owl! And his owl is a _male_!!" Dave sighed exasperated.

She just glared. "No arguing with your mother. Now, go!"

His head hung, as he sighed. Reluctantly, he obliged.

***~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~***

Enjoying the last rays of the day was an old man, standing in front of his small hut, leaning on his carved cane. The hut was located on the top of a grassy hill, with a forest just in front of the door of the house, pointing north. The small building was made of wood, the walls were painted white, but the roof still held the natural colour of the aged wood. It was currently absorbing the rays of the twilight. The sky was changing its colour, now appearing an attractive shade of orange with some glimpses of gold and pink here and there.

The man sighed, breathing in the refreshing air. Several wrinkles told that he was way past his primes… just as the long, white beard. His whitened hair, though, gave him a freaky look, like the mad scientists you sometimes see in the cartoons, considering that the spiked hair was sticking up at odd angles, under the black triangular flat cap with a small stiff brim.

From under his thick eyebrows, his rusty-brown eyes caught the setting sun, and smiled somehow melancholy. He sighed again, letting the long sleeves of his green tunic cover his hands clasped on the cane. The tunic he was wearing had long sleeves and reached his knees, with two side slits that started at his hips. The cloth was held in place with a large black sash in front with red stripes. His baggy dark green pants were tucked inside black boots.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" he asked the owl perched on his shoulder, his voice low but somehow still soft, although weighted by all the winters he saw.

The owl merely turned his head to him, and the old man let out another sigh.

"I knew not flying for so long would drive you insane, but I didn't know it was that bad," a feminine, soft voice called from the shadows of the trees.

The owl flew away as the old man turned, narrowing his rusty-brown eyes. "Who's there?"

A light chuckle, filled with amusement and maybe worry, was heard, as well as few cautious steps. "Don't tell me you don't recognize your old friends anymore," the figure had now stepped completely into the light, letting the old man see her perfectly. "…Jetfire."

The red eyes of Skye bore into Jerry's orbs, as they widened briefly just to be narrowed again, so fast she wondered if they really increased their size a second before.

"You must have mistaken me for someone else, young lady." He said calmly, turning to reach the door of his hut, not before letting her see the smirk of amusement on his face.

"No, I haven't." She stated firmly, thinning the distance between them to barely four feet. "I'm looking for the great Seeker Jetfire, because I need him to take me to the Saviour."

He still had his back facing her, and if her words touched him, he didn't let her know. The only clue of uneasiness was the fact that his hand reached for the door's handle. "I'm sorry, miss. But I think you have truly mistaken me for someone else."

She grabbed his upper arm, forcing him, as gently as she could, to look at her. "My name is Skyblade. And _this_," she said, unfolding the cloth wrapped around the Matrix and holding it up for him to see. "Is not mistaking."

Jerry's eyes didn't have time to widen in the disbelief only created by long time, because neither of them noticed they were being heard by someone, until that someone spoke out loud.

"Saviour?"

They both turned to look at a startled Dave, who was trying to grasp what they were talking about. He looked helplessly from Jerry to Skye, his hands opening and clenching as they let go of Lesley's reins. At the sudden appearance, Skye drew her silver weapon, which was the equivalent of her Null-ray cannon, only on a smaller scale.

"Don't." Jerry warned, closing his fingers on her wrist.

Skye nodded, her eyes still focused menacingly on Dave's blue ones. She slowly put her weapon away, and moved her attention from him. The old man removed his hand, and opened the door, entering while leaving the two outside.

"What's going on? Who's Jetfire? I thought your name was Jerry!" Dave stuttered still utterly confused.

"Why are you stalking me?!" Skye asked indignantly.

"What?" Dave's pride kicked in, and he replied in the same tone. "I'm not _stalking_ _you_. My mother told me to come see Jerry-"

She cut him off, but he treated her the same way.

"You have no right to follow me around-"

"I don't _want_ to follow you around! That guy who was chasing you came to my house-"

"So he ordered you to stalk me?!" Skye asked, quirking an eyebrow unbelievingly.

"I didn't STALK you!" Dave repeated exasperated. This girl was proving to be quite headstrong… and childish. "My mother was worried, and asked me to come ask Jerry–"

"I'm afraid you'll have to wait." She replied, this time calm, as if she was stating the obvious. "I need Jetfire's help the most! I was here first-"

"I live here! I go first-" Dave spat back, closing the distance between them.

"No way! I'm a girl. Be a gentleman-" Skye snapped, unconsciously squaring her shoulders and coming closer to him.

"Be a gentleman my-" but before he could utter expletives perhaps not suitable for a 'gentleman', Skye stopped him, yelling practically in his face, judging by the small gap they left between each other.

"Enough!" She roared, not really wishing to argue with the man who saved her life, and being suddenly reminded of the little time they had to save her planet, and turned to the open door of the small house. "Jetfire, take me to the Saviour right now!"

"You're in front of him." Came the noncommittal, idle reply of the old man from the inside of the hut, now bathed in the orange light of the burning hearth.

The two simultaneously looked at each other, then in perfect synchronism stared at the inside of the house; their lips, that had only shouted against one another, now let out an unanimous yell of surprise and bewilderment.

"WHAT?!"

***~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~***

**A/N:** LOL! I love cliffhangers! You love 'em too, don't deny it!!

**Next time:** Jetfire and Skyblade tell Dave all the horrendous truth about them and… him!

Until next time… See ya! ;-)


	3. Chapter 3: The Unbearable Truth

**Disclaimer:** Everything that doesn't have an owner, belongs to me.

**Previously:** Skyblade runs from Sideways and his minions, but passes out, and meets Dave 'Dorifuto' and his family. Not too thrilled by the meeting, she dismisses them, and continues with her mission, successfully finding the Seeker Jetfire. Unbeknownst to her, Dave reaches Jetfire's hut as well, sent there by his mother after he discovered that Sideways had survived. After a bit of bickering from Skyblade and Dave, Jetfire reveals that the boy is in fact who Skyblade was looking for.

**Chapter summary:** Jetfire and Skyblade tell Dave all the horrendous truth about them and… him!

**A/N: **Thank you for reading/reviewing this fic! And oh, yeah! Fun time ahead for Skye and Dave!!

Btw: a Stellar cycle is a year.

On with the story.

Enjoy! ;-)

***~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~***

**Chapter 3: The Unbearable Truth**

***~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~***

Silence hung heavily in the air, as neither of the inhabitants of the small room dared to break it. After the revelation, Skye and Dave were invited inside, so that they could yell at one another without having half of the planet hearing them. Jerry had his back turned to them, as he lazily turned a ladle in the caldron on the fire. After awhile, Skye gathered enough wits to speak.

"He…" she hesitated, looking sideways at the young man standing right next to her. "He is… the Saviour?"

Jerry didn't answer, only silently continued to turn the long wood spoon, causing a whirlwind inside the otherwise placid soup.

"Who?!" Dave asked, utterly confused at the lack of answer from the old man.

"He doesn't know?!" Skye breathed, her voice was slow to return after the shock. "What did you tell him?"

"Nothing." Jerry shrugged with nonchalance, turning to face them.

"What?!" this time Skye's voice returned full force, as she leaned on the table in the center of the room to be face to face… er, face to shoulder with the old man. "And what did he do for the last 20 Stellar cycles?!"

"He chopped wood." Again, his nonchalance was unfazed by her growing frustration.

The last statement hit her with the force of a brick wall. "Uh, look." She started, in a very calm tone, despite the situation required otherwise. "I know it is said that he has to help his land out, but I don't think this is what it meant!"

"Why not?" Jerry asked, raising an eyebrow genuinely puzzled.

"Because he has a destiny far greater than this, and you know it." She sighed, leaning back from the table.

He snorted. "Better making him a woodman by love, than a fighter by force."

"And all that died for him?!" Skyblade's voice raised again, only a small amount of sorrow in it.

"Don't blame this on him!" Jerry snapped, pointing the ladle accusingly at her. "Who are you to tell him what to do with his life?"

"And who are you to tell him otherwise?" she countered, her crimson eyes narrowing. "It's what the prophecy says."

"The Pit with it!" Jerry spat.

"How can you say such thing?!" Skye grimaced indignantly. "The prophecy gave us hope, and the strength to carry on under Starscream's reign!" The tone she used made it clear that she had seen her share of battles to last five, if not six, lifetimes. "We need a hero…" she added, adopting a gentler tone. "…And we still do."

"No, you need a scapegoat." Jerry corrected, pausing briefly. "Someone to get the job done for you, and someone to blame if you can't do it yourself."

"It's not like that." Skye whispered back.

"Yes, it is." He insisted. "And I'll be scrap before I let anything like that happen to that boy!"

"WHAT IS GOING ON?!"

Dave's voice jerked their heads in his direction, still near the door, still puzzled and quite pissed off… for the lack of better words. His blue eyes bounced on both of them rhythmically, waiting for an answer. The two looked at each other, then the girl sighed, looking away.

"Tell him."

"You started this mess, you tell him." Jerry replied, not even looking at her, but focusing on the pot on the bonfire.

"You took him here, you tell him." She retorted, glancing sideways at him.

"Rock, paper, scissor?" he turned to her, smiling sheepishly. She raised an eyebrow, not really knowing what he was talking about, but before she could reply, Dave interrupted both of them again.

"Just tell me already!"

"Alright." Jerry nodded. "But first, tell me: what planet are we on?"

Dave raised an eyebrow at the question. "Earth." He answered.

Skye sighed deeply, and Jerry shook his head. "No, boy." Dave was confused, but before he could talk, Jerry continued. "We are on a planet named Cybertron." He paused briefly to let him grab his idea. "We are a faction of a race called Transformers. We are Autonomous Robotic Organisms, or Autobots for short."

"What?" Dave rasped. "Wait, are you trying to tell me that you're some kind of… robot?"

"Yes,"

"Are you on somethin'?" Dave raised an eyebrow.

"No." he simply replied.

"Oh,"

There was a moment of silence, before Dave burst out laughing, clutching his sides and wiping the tears from his eyes.

Skye looked at Jerry, raising an eyebrow. "Are you sure he is the Saviour?"

"Positive," Jerry answered, without looking at her, then turned to face the girl. "But if you don't believe me, then ask the Matrix." He suggested.

"Aww, Jerry. You've finally lost it!" Dave shook his head.

"Don't get disrespectful, boy." Skye pointed a finger at him, approaching him with the envelop.

"What's that?" he asked, eyeing warily the wrapped thing in her hands.

"A test." She replied, still approaching him.

"For what?" he asked, unconsciously taking a step back.

"Knowing if you're really the Saviour. If you are, then this will tell." She explained, impassibly stopping in front of him.

"And if I'm obviously _not_ the Saviour?" he crooked an eyebrow cockily.

"Then you might be incinerated on the spot." She shrugged, smiling in an alarming carefree way, unwrapping the cloth.

"WHAT?!" he yelled, cockiness forgotten, and started to scurry away, but she caught him by the collar of his shirt, and forced him to turn around.

"Relaaaax, kid." Jerry coaxed.

"N-waaait!" he whimpered, but it was no use. Skye had already shoved a metal object in his hands.

Dave regarded the artefact in his hands a moment, then he felt something. A wave of a warm and powerful energy running throughout his whole frame. He could have sworn that the object was _pulsing_ against his flesh.

"So he's the Saviour." He heard Skye's voice breath so softly he wondered if he'd just imagined it. Dave's mind was all on the alien item in his hands and the foreign energy swirling around it.

The aura of energy around the artefact was almost palpable. He could feel the power of it pushing at the palms of his hands, tingling up his arms. It was like the alien item was starting a fight with his body, invading it with its strength, making his blood pumping in his ears; it started at the square center of the object, where he could feel something like a heart pulsing underneath the intricate armour of tangled metal. And though metallic, because of the soft glowing orb inside it, Dave realized that the artefact was warm, its energy dancing like flames along the odd form, flowing from the center to the sharp 'horns' extending from it. The rhythm of his heart sped up, but it was accompanied by another beating, and it took him a moment to realize that it was the energy of the item that was senselessly pulsing in his chest, like a second cardiac organ that didn't belong there, but felt so right.

His eyes closed, as if an invisible hand had been placed on them. The moment his eyelids were shut, his vision turned white, before various dots started to bend and blend in to form the blurry image of an alien planet. Moments later, he saw a giant vessel, a spaceship; his vision was assaulted by hundreds of faces, metallic faces, snarling, begging, looking absolutely terrified or unbelievingly grotesque.

All of a sudden, it was all gone. The silver-haired young man breathed sharply several times, quite bizarrely realizing that it was as if his heart had never sped up, as if he had never felt his blood pumping past his ears, as if the second muscle pulsing in his chest had never existed. But the energy was still there; he could still feel it both pushing and pulling at his palms, as if the artefact was breathing.

He slowly looked up, and met the expecting gaze of Jerry. The old man grimaced, and snorted. "Don't look at me as if I'd lost my mind, boy. I hadn't…" he paused, then shrugged. "At least not yet." He allowed.

"What's this?" Dave asked in a voice barely above a whisper.

"That is the Matrix of Leadership, the symbol of the leader of our planet." Skye explained.

Dave sat down on the small couch near the door, the Matrix still in his hands. "So… you were telling the truth? Then who… or what are you?"

"My name is Skyblade. I am the Air Commander of the Autobot Air Force." The girl he once knew as Skye introduced herself, then pointed to the old man, "This is Jetfire, Chief Cybertronian Scientist and Explorer." She paused briefly to let him digest what she just said, then continued. "We are Autobot Seekers, a unit of warriors that have a jet transformation, with superior tracking and detection skills, and a high-level of firepower-"

"Who can just get things done better than anyone else!" Jetfire butted in, but muted once he received Skyblade's glare.

She turned her attention to Dave, and continued. "My mission is to find the Saviour, and protect him with my life."

Dave was muttering something… well his mouth was quivering, but no sound came out of it, while a frown was on his face.

"I understand that this might be… hard to comprehend, but here we go…" Jetfire took a deep breath, and began his story. "Under the lead of Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots, Cybertron was a powerful and peaceful empire. Until Megatron, leader of the Decepticons, betrayed and destroyed those who defied him. The war consumed the planet, and soon we brought our fight to Earth, desperately searching for energy. There, after a protracted battle, Optimus defeated Megatron with the help of the humans.

"With their same help, we were finally able to find another way to revive Cybertron. For all collaboration in the last battle, Optimus offered the humans to come to our planet. The new Cybertron thus started to have a different type of population: one human and one robot. The planet was reborn thanks to the new source of Energon that a brave human found under its surface; that, coupled with the balancing power of the Matrix, and calculations from human and our scientists were able to make Cybertron look as beautiful as it was in the Golden Age."

"Unfortunately, it seems that all good things come to an end." Skyblade sighed, taking over for Jetfire. "Megatron, who was defeated, but not destroyed, returned once again, and engaged Optimus, managing to kill him, and steal away the Matrix of Leadership. A new age of war began since then, while his Decepticons scattered all over the newly-revived Cybertron, causing mayhem and destroying anyone who tried to defy them.

"Almost all the humans had been slaughtered, and the ones who didn't had to look out for both Decepticons and Autobots, seeing that many of them preferred to switch side than die. After awhile, the Autobots decided to stop their sporadic attacks to organize and coordinate into one powerful army, that, unfortunately, had to hide, because there was no one who could lead it like Optimus would.

"Surprisingly though, the next move came from the Decepticons. After millennia of trying, Starscream finally managed to overthrow Megatron, breaking not only the relative 'peace' that came with the tyranny, but also the revived planet's precarious equilibrium. In fact, not knowing that it was the power of the Matrix that kept the Energon from spilling uncontrollably all over the globe, Starscream just disposed of it."

"And thus," The old man continued, "The Energon started to erupt from the surface of Cybertron, causing a quite interesting outcome: the planet was covered in vegetation, ironically becoming a new Earth." The scientist in Jetfire had to giggle at that, but he composed himself quickly.

"That caused an unpleasant side effect to us all as well." Skyblade nodded. "The Energon levels were too high, and we had to build these pretender forms to avoid damages to our robotic structures… and to hide among the humans. We can be in robot or vehicle forms for at most 24 Earth hours, before permanent shut down."

Dave held up a hand, asking them to pause, and they were a bit surprised that he interrupted them. "Why did you say 'to hide among the humans'? I thought you said they were dead?"

"Not all of them are." Skyblade explained. "Deciding they needed a better strategy, the Autobots evacuated the humans to the south-west part of the planet, where they set up a barrier strong enough to protect them. However, some of the humans couldn't make it before Starscream found out, and were sealed outside the barrier with all the Autobots."

"Why didn't the Autobots go with the humans?" Dave asked.

"Because we decided it was better to fight Starscream without having to care about the humans." She explained.

"Protecting life is our priority." Jetfire spoke up. "That's why in this part of the barrier technology was banned. A taboo, with which we thought to keep our precious allies safe… and that was good… at least until now." The old Seeker's voice trailed off.

Skyblade then resumed her explanation. "The remaining part of the humans was forced to hide, building villages, sheltered from Starscream thanks to high tech. Despite what they'd been through, they continued to hope and fight. It was also thanks to a prophecy told us by the Angel of Primus, Sunstorm."

"You can't possibly believe him," Jetfire sighed exasperated.

"He gave us something to believe in," Skyblade whispered back, frowning slightly.

"Point is: Sunstorm's mad, and people are too gullible." Jetfire snorted, shrugging disapprovingly, while Skyblade just rolled her eyes.

"And…" Dave interrupted them again, "This Sunstorm… he talked about me too?" he asked.

Skyblade nodded, and started to recite the prophecy.

"'_One will rise among us to help his land out._

_He, who will be son of man and machine._

_He, who will seek redemption for his past deeds._

_He, who will step out of the darkness to bath in light, defeating the inky depth that created him._

_He will be our ray of hope, to lead us against the tyranny, wielding the Sword of Freedom, and using the Matrix of Leadership._

_He will be called the Saviour, and will sacrifice what he holds dearest in both worlds.'"_

"It doesn't even rhyme!" Dave protested.

"Prophecy aren't supposed to. Our actions are." Jetfire winked.

Dave decided not to go to the bottom of what the old man just said. He already felt confused enough. "How do you know it's me?"

"Upon hearing the prophecy, we started to think about that. Surely, the prophecy was talking about a Decepticon, and after many researches, we found one with doubts about the Decepticon Cause." Skyblade started, before Jetfire continued.

"A group of Neutrals faked an incident in the mines, and ambushed the Decepticons that came to check it out. All of them were killed except for their leader, a heartless warrior named Turmoil, and his lieutenant, Deadlock."

_Those names sound familiar…_ Dave thought.

"The Neutrals let the leader go, but kept the SIC. After much complaining on his part, he reluctantly agreed to help us all. He trained under the Neutrals' lead, and was finally ready to defeat Starscream. But when we decided to launch the attack, we were discovered, and had no other choice, but to use the plan B."

"You had a plan B?!" Dave asked Jetfire, utterly awestruck.

"We weren't as unprepared as you, and Starscream, thought. Years without your freedom give you plenty of time to plan out your offence." Jetfire frowned, but smiled sadly, then continued. "Anyway, as I was saying, while we battled, the Matrix, which was hidden somewhere in the depths of Starscream's lair, used some of its power to erase Deadlock's memory and to turn him into a human infant pretender. I then flew as fast as I could to the barrier, and thanks to Teletraan I's code, I was allowed in."

"Great story. But what does all of this have to do with me?" Dave asked, frowning impatiently.

Skyblade and Jetfire looked at each other, then the older sighed, shaking his head, while the girl turned kind eyes towards Dave.

"The Matrix only reacts in Cybertronian hands…" she trailed off.

Dave narrowed his eyes as if to try and grasp an idea that was still foreign to him. His blue eyes then lowered to the Matrix that seemed pulsing in his hands, almost as if it wanted to help him understand. "So… I'm…"

"Yes, you are the Saviour." She stated, and after that, the room fell into silence once more.

"No… way. No way! I'm not this Saviour. I- you mistook me for someone I'm not." Dave said, standing and handing the Matrix back to Skyblade, but she made no move to take it. "Yesterday, I was just a simple Mr. Nobody, and now I'm a Saviour?!"

"Yes." She adamantly replied.

"No, I'm not." Dave spat back.

"Yes, you are. The Matrix of Leadership-" but he cut her off.

"You can have it! I don't want it." He practically pushed it against the girl's stomach.

Skyblade narrowed her eyes, but her facial features were soft. "It's not about what you want, or what you don't want. This is your destiny."

Dave took in two deep breaths, glancing from the girl's red orbs to the single blue one that was shining under the maze of tangle metal in his hands. "…So I'm… not a human. Then how could I grow up like one?"

"It's the marvellous power of the Matrix," Jetfire provided cryptically, maybe because his guess was as good as Dave's.

"Then I'm… a bad guy? A… Decepticon…? Deadlock…"

"You don't go by that name anymore. You were reborn, with a new look and designation. Your name is Drift." Jetfire said.

"How can you be so positive?" Dave insisted, trying desperately to cling to anything that would tell him he was not this… _Saviour_. Because if he was, and if the visions he had were true, then that would mean that he had been a murderer.

"May I see your sword?" Skyblade asked, outstretching her hand.

Dave complied, unsheathing one of his katana, and twisted it in his hand, so that the hilt was facing her expecting hand. She took the weapon, and inspected it keenly.

"Perfectly balanced," Skyblade noted, holding it flat on her hand, and seeing that the weapon was very still. With her other hand, she twirled the sword in midair. "Light, sharp and deadly. Cybertronian blacksmiths truly knew what they were doing."

"What are you talking about? My father made it." Dave said puzzled.

"No, Drift." She held up the sword so that he could see it. "It's made of a sturdy alloy named Sidero, ten times stronger than steel and ten times lighter than titanium. That, coupled with the user's immense spark energy and skills can cut through thickest metals with relative ease."

Dave was speechlessly gaping at her, and Skyblade smiled at him. "Oh, this is nothing compared to the Sword of Freedom." She said, then turned to Jetfire, who nodded.

"Sure thing," Jetfire started, crouching down to open up a hidden panel in the wall. He took out a long and thin item wrapped in a brown cloth, offering to the silver-haired boy.

Reluctantly, Dave took the object and slowly unwrapped it, revealing a weapon of great power long since forgotten. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he pulled the hilt, letting the bright blade shine into the orange light of the fire after so many years of uselessly laying hidden.

As soon as his hand brushed the hilt, he noticed small lightning of electricity crackling and dancing around the sharp blade of the weapon, before coursing through his body. And as it happened when he took the Matrix, he felt his body reacting with the alien artefact, becoming more and more accustomed with the past that laid forgotten in his mind. Once he completely unsheathed the sword, he knew that it recognized its owner, as if it was itself a sentient being, a loyal comrade, who awaited for the one Cybertronian worth of wielding it.

***~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~***

"…And that's how she escaped." Blackout finished his report with a gulp. Losing was something Starscream didn't like. And he least liked losing to Skyblade, the little femme traitor.

As the lack of answer from Starscream continued on, Blackout found the air in the room smothering him, and he slipped a finger in between his dark grey shirt and the breastplate of his black armour. A habit he picked up from the humans. Sure it was strange seeing the tall, bulky, merciless warrior so nervous.

His longish dark brown hair was tied up in a messy ponytail, while his hand rubbed the dark brown moustache that framed his lips. He shifted his great weight from one foot to the other, his heavy armour giving metallic whines with each small movement he made. His red eyes drifted anxiously around the throne room.

A circular glass dome was the ceiling of the room, and it was resting on huge and tall alabaster pillars. The floor was decorated with maroon rugs, while white curtains hung from the walls; the purple Decepticon symbol was embroidered on each curtain. The trim of the rugs was gold, and it contrasted gorgeously with the reddish fabric.

A muffled noise brought the Decepticon helicopter's attention to the prisoner he brought back. The man was on his knees, firmly pinned by two other Seekers.

The prisoner, Springer, wore yellowish pants tucked inside black boots, and a high collared jacket of the same colour that reached just past his knees. The collar and cuffs of the jacket were a dark gold, just like the trim of his green armour. A large gash was visible now on his left shoulder bade, and the metal of the armour was soaked with a dry azure liquid. His long hair was light green and tied in a low ponytail, and his blue eyes were looking disgustingly at all the occupants of the room. He was also wearing a helmet, similar to the shape of his head in robot mode. All his athletic figure looked fatigued and battered, but that was no surprise.

Thrust and Dirge were the two guards that were pinning him down. They both wore black pants and shirts under a leather breastplate, that was red in Thrust's case and blue in Dirge's, with the Decepticon symbol in the middle of it. At their waists they had the equivalent of their Null-ray cannons hanging, the black weapons flashing when light hit them. Thrust had short, rusty brown hair, while Dirge's was blue with orange streaks.

Finding the silence unbearable, Blackout turned to stare at Starscream's back. The new emperor still hadn't spoke, just stood there, facing the wall.

Finally, he turned around slowly, causing Blackout to shudder a bit, as his crimson gaze fell on him. Starscream wore silver pants tucked inside silver boots, and a dark red coat with gold lapels, that reached past his knee. The coat opened slightly to reveal a silver shirt with gold trimming, and a bit of his sculpted chest. The long sleeves of the coat were rolled up to his elbows, showing a pair of cobalt gloves. On his manly shoulders, a pair of silver armour plates kept in place a long purple cloak. Just like the other two Seekers, two Null-ray cannons hung at his waist. His shaggy black hair reached the base of his neck, and a dazzling crown of gold sat on his head. It was circular and had four pointed spikes with a large ruby, that glistened every time the light hit it, at the base of each protuberance.

"How many should they be?" he sneered in his high pitched voice, referring to the prisoner.

Blackout swallowed the lump in his throat. "Two-"

"NONE!!" Starscream yelled, correcting him. "You miserable incompetent!" he said before punching Blackout, and heaving him up by the collar of his armour. "You know what? You have to thank, thank the Energon spilling all over the globe and the Autobots' attacks, because if I wasn't running so low on soldiers, I'd already killed you!"

"Sideways crossed the barrier…" he choked out, "I'm sure he'll find Sky-"

But Starscream didn't let him finish. He banged Blackout's head against the wall, and added, shouting at his subordinate, "Don't you DARE say that name in front of me!!"

The emperor then snorted at the terrified and pained expression on Blackout's face, and let him go, as he slumped on the floor, grasping his throat.

"Barricade!" Starscream called, and a split second later, another young man appeared.

"Yes, Emperor Starscream?" Barricade bowed.

He too was in a human form: a thin yet strong build, light red eyes and spiky black hair. His clothing was similar to Sideways', except for the weapon he carried: instead of the throwing knives, he had a long, wrapped chain hanging at his right side; on one end of the chain there was a scythe while on the other one there was a lead.

"Go find Sideways. Use any mean necessary, but tear that slagging barrier apart!" Starscream ordered.

Barricade bowed again. "I will not fail you, my Lord."

"I would hope so…" Starscream nodded, then added in a lower tone, "For your own sake."

After Barricade left the room, Dirge spoke up, "Emperor Starscream, what about the prisoner?"

Starscream turned to the knelt Autobot, who was glaring at him, even though he was barely conscious. The Seeker shook his head. _Heroic fool_, he thought. "Take him to the Detention Center, then go help Barricade." He barked.

"Yes, my Lord." Thrust and Dirge said at unison while they bowed, then they proceeded to drag a most reluctant Springer to the prison, leaving Starscream alone with his thoughts.

_If Skyblade crossed the barrier, she has already find the Saviour__ by now. After all, she was very competent in her job._ He sighed, and clenched his fists. _I should have taken her out when I had the chance. But if the little brat thinks to be able to stop me, then I _will _take her out once and for all!_

***~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~***

**A/N:** Aww! Screamer's back, ladies!!! Sorry if it's all confusing, feel free to ask explanations, but do remember that many things will be explained in later chapters.

For those of you who don't know Drift, he's a character created by IDW for the Transformers: All Hail Megatron series. If you wanna know more 'bout him, just go to Teletraan 1, a.k.a. the Transformer wiki!

**Next time:** Dave/Drift will face Sideways, and take the most difficult choice of his life!

Until next time… See ya! ;-)


	4. Chapter 4: The Longest Stride

**Disclaimer:** Everything that doesn't have an owner, belongs to me.

**Previously:** Jetfire and Skyblade told Dave all the horrendous truth about them and… him! He learned that he is in fact an ex-Decepticon named Deadlock, who changed his appearance and designation, going now with the name of Drift. The young man was still suspicious of the story, but then Skyblade gave him the Matrix of Leadership, that opened his eyes to who he really was; once Jetfire showed him the Sword of Freedom, he reluctantly accepted the truth.

**Chapter summary:** Dave/Drift will face Sideways, and take the most difficult choice of his life!

**A/N: **Sorry for the long wait!!Hope this makes up for the delay! I had a lot to deal with in real life, and my own reality had to wait. But now I'm back!!!

Oh, last part of chapter 3 was written in a rush. Barricade's weapon is called 'kusarigama', a traditional Japanese weapon that consists of kama (the Japanese equivalent of a sickle) on a metal chain (manriki) with a heavy iron weight at the end. I just changed the fact that the weight is made of lead instead of iron… and promptly forgot to type the word 'weight'! ^^U Oops, my bad!! Please forgive meeeee!!!!!! Thank you for reading/reviewing this fic!

On with the story.

Enjoy! ;-)

***~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~***

**Chapter 4: The Longest Stride**

***~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~***

The wind whistled in his ears loudly, as it blew his silver locks away from his face. The horse was racing very fast through the trees, its owner wanting to get home as soon as possible. But impatient as he was, even Dave knew that Lesley couldn't run faster than she already was in a wood. There were too many trees and exposed roots to avoid. Growling internally, trying to find something else to think about, something different from what was assaulting his mind right now, Dave thought back to his conversation with Skyblade and Jetfire.

He'd known Jetfire for forever. The old man was considered crazy by… well, by everyone in the village, himself included. He remembered when he was young, and he was dared by his friends to do something to piss the old man off, and, frankly, Dave had always been the best. Now that he thought about it, he recalled that Jerry Fire (that was the name he had known him with) had never protested or demanded young Dave to be punished for the pranks he pulled. Before, he brushed it off as nothing, seeing that Jerry was an old friend of his family, but now he was starting to think that maybe Jerry had never said anything to him because he knew who Dave was.

Odd. He shivered. He didn't know why, but suddenly realising that Jerry always treated him that way, like a stranger, but somehow friendly, only because he knew everything about him made him feel uneasy. All of a sudden, all the glares he received from the old man every time he and his friends were caught were starting to be seen under another light, the light of knowledge. The same light that shone into a certain pair of red eyes.

Skyblade, or Skye, or whatever the girl's name was. Her demands, that were more like an ordering prayer (was it even possible?), started to ring in his ears. What was she expecting of him? She just appeared one day, and said that she, Jerry and himself were robots in disguise, and then she was expecting him to go with her to God-knows-where because some crazy guy told them a prophecy, that they practically had to make up on the spot, and kill someone who usurped the throne of a tyrant?!

Dave sighed. His head throbbed badly. Among all the recollections, the last conversation he had with Skyblade and Jetfire replayed before his eyes, as the way back home got shorter and shorter.

***~*~*Flashback*~*~***

Dave, or Drift, sat on the couch of Jetfire's hut. He was still awestruck because of the revelations the other two beings told him. He had to sit down after he took the sword in his hand, the hard metal pulsing steadily against his palm, like the Matrix did, sending a warm wave throughout his body.

"So we three are…" he mumbled not looking at the other two, but keeping his blue eyes on the blade. The hilt was black and rather thick, though practically designed to be held by his hand; it also had a glowing blue gem embedded in the octagonal crossbar, not unlike the light shining inside the Matrix. His eyes followed the large and sharp blade until they reached the standing form of Skyblade.

"Transformers." The girl finished for him, offering a very small smile. "Well, right now we are in these human-like forms called 'Pretenders'." She explained. "It was possible for us becoming like this thanks to new programs. Technically, we are hybrids; our internal structures, the equivalent of a human skeleton, are now overlapped gears, while a special matter-generator covered them with this material that looks very much like human skin. It is polymerized carbon." She paused a bit, then stroke her chin with her finger in a thinking manner. "Or at least I think that's what Percy said. I'm not very good with this kinda things…" she smiled sheepishly.

"Well, point is," Jetfire butted in, "We're all fake humans. And very realistic too."

"And a Pretender is even a convenient way to repair damages, since in this form they can be fixed quicker." Skyblade added.

"So that's why the one following you is still alive." Dave muttered absently.

Skyblade and Jetfire looked worriedly at each other. "Who?"

"The one chasing you…" Dave repeated, this time looking at her.

"Sideways." Skyblade muttered under her breath, growling. "He is a Decepticon; thoughtful, sneaky, skillful, and, believe it or not, a tactful coward." She explained, her eyes becoming cold and detached, a clear sign that she'd faced this opponent one too many times. "Before the war, he was a simple courier. After the war broke out, he used to team up with larger Decepticons in the battle against the Autobots. But don't mistake this attitude as cowardice: that's only the way he can avoid all the heat, since it will be his target-friendly companion to take it. Though he generally shuns combat entirely, he's more than eager to deploy his 'flying knives' when he absolutely must face the enemy."

Dave gulped loudly, jumping up from the couch like an arrow. "He's at my home!" he realised, shocked.

And that was all they heard, before the silver-haired young man darted out of the door, to prepare his horse.

"Drift!!" Skyblade called out to him, but to no avail. She ran out the door as well a second later, finding the boy intent on preparing Lesley to go back. "Drift, wait!"

"Dave!" he corrected spitefully, as he finished to tie the sword to the saddle.

"Where are you going?" she asked worriedly, completely ignoring him.

"Take a guess." He spat back.

"You're not ready to take on Sideways. He's a disciplined warrior trained for killing. You're too important to-"

"My parents are more important!" he shouted, turning to face her.

She stayed silent for a moment, averting her eyes from him. How could she tell him how wrong he was? He was the one they all put their hopes in, the one they sacrificed everything for, how couldn't he see how much more important he was? Don't get her wrong; the last thing she wanted was for other innocents to suffer and hurt. But the price was too high now. Had he forgotten how hard war was? Had he forgotten all the sacrifices he had to make? Skyblade had to lose almost everything she had in order to find him, and now he was going to get himself killed just for someone that for twenty Stellar Cycles took care of him? Wow, when had she become so heartless? When had she begun to think that deciding the fate of another being was ordinary? More importantly, had she ever thought otherwise?

As her processor fought among all those thoughts, her eyes absently returned on Dave, and the boy rewarded her with a hard and cold gaze, before turning away completely. Skyblade gasped internally. Had he read her thoughts? When did she become so obvious?

"Lesson number one, Saviour." Jetfire said calmly, emerging from the hut with the Matrix, that Dave carelessly left on the table. He started to tie the enveloped artefact on the saddle, near the sword, as he continued his speech. "Don't let your emotions take over yourself. You must learn to control them and use them in battle, not being the one controlled. Listen to Sky. I know she appears childish, but she is really wise." He glanced understandingly at the girl, who made no move to acknowledge his words.

"So what? I just stay here while my parents are at that monster's mercy?!" Dave yelled exasperated.

"They're not your parents…" Skyblade whispered sadly and very lowly, but he heard her anyway.

"Who cares?!" he shouted angered at the girl, who winched, "They raised me with love-"

"So that you'd be able to fulfil your destiny." Jetfire interrupted, always calm and firm, without raising his voice as he put himself between the other two. "You have to learn that there are certain sacrifices that require to be done."

"I don't give a damn!" he spat, and climbed on Lesley's back, then hit the reins. The horse started its race, and its rider didn't turn back.

So reckless. So impatient. So… unprepared.

"What now?" Skyblade asked, as she followed the grey animal with her eyes.

"What do you mean?" Jetfire raised an eyebrow.

"He's gonna get himself killed, if we don't do something." Skyblade turned to him.

"Your point?"

_Are you kidding?!_ Skyblade thought, resisting the urge to face-palm herself. She took a deep breath of air through her systems, and tried to get her point across with the old bot. "He needs help."

"How are we supposed to help him, if he took the only horse?" Jetfire asked back.

"Uh… we run?" She suggested, but then cringed at her own words. Run? A flyer? Never! No matter which form he/she was in; a flyer NEVER moved on the ground. Period.

"Pit no!" Jetfire's spiteful answer only confirmed her thoughts.

Skyblade raised an eyebrow. "You do realize he took the Sword _and_ the Matrix?"

"Well?" Jetfire responded in the same way.

Skyblade sighed and groaned. She hung her head, before taking off jumping at full speed from one tree to the next in the same direction Dave headed to only minutes ago.

"Wasn't that what you wanted in the first place?!" Jetfire called after her. He then shook his head, and started to follow Skyblade, groaning externally, but hoping internally that it wasn't already too late.

***~*~*End Flashback*~*~***

Not even waiting for Lesley to come to a complete stop, Dave jumped down from the horse the moment she arrived near her master's home. He ran the few feet that separated him from the front door, unsheathing one of his swords, but taking the Sword of Freedom with him, strapping it on his back.

He gingerly made his way inside, slightly disturbed as he found the door open. Carefully, he inspected the living room in the semi-dark; night had long since fallen on them.

"Mom?! Dad?!" he whispered, trying to be loud enough to be heard by his parents, but at the same time not too much, to avoid dragging unwanted attention.

He continued to look around the darkened place, calling softly his parents again, and soon his blue eyes fell on the laying form of his dad.

"Dad!" he couldn't help the rather loud gasp of surprise upon seeing the tall man on the floor.

Dave was at his side immediately. He carefully turned his father so that now he was resting on his back, slightly relieved that the man was unharmed except for a bruise on his forehead. Someone must have knocked him out, he thought.

"Dave? What are you doing here?" Richard said in a rather hoarse voice, as he came to.

"I came back for you!" Dave snarled back, a bit harsher than he intended.

"No. Go! Save yourself. I-I thought you were with Jetfire…"

"I was," he regretfully admitted, lowering both his tone and his head. Then his eyes snapped up again, locking on his father's green ones. "How do you know his real name?"

Dave narrowed his eyes, as silence met his question. Realisation hit him with the force of a brick wall, as Richard slowly and guiltily lowered his head.

"…Dave, forgive us…" Akiko said, startling Dave a bit, since in the darkness he hadn't realized that she was laying beside her husband.

"You finally came. I was getting bored…"

Cold chills ran down Dave's spine upon hearing the low and silky male voice behind him. Dave slowly rose to his feet, and when he turned, he met a pair of familiar bloodthirsty red eyes.

"What have you done?!" he snarled at the black-haired man, whose clothes hid perfectly in the darkness.

"Nothing…" Sideways smirked, exposing what looked like pointed fangs. "…Yet."

His response was the whistle of a sword being aimed at his neck, as Dave prepared himself for the oncoming duel.

Sideways chuckled. "Oh, so unwise…" he too unsheathed one of his swords. "I'm warning you, brat. I've never been defeated."

"I remembered it differently," Dave replied smugly, trying to keep his rage under control, and finding it more difficult by the second.

"True," his opponent agreed. "But now there isn't your little Seeker to watch your back." As he continued to speak, Dave suddenly felt the sword on his back pulse, and, against his better judgment, he unsheathed the katana. "By the way, where is she?" Sideways asked maliciously.

"Do you expect me to tell you without a fight?!" Dave yelled, taking out the Sword of Freedom, whose blade glowed a bit in the dark.

"The Saviour?!" Sideways' eyes went wide in acknowledgment. "I knew something was wrong with you. You were different from the other fleshlings." He said, then smirked, readying himself to battle. "If I kill you, even Starscream would have to bow to me!"

Dave immediately made a beeline for his opponent. Their blades impacted into one another briefly, but strongly, leaving Sideways with the need to find his footing. He did it in no time, and lunged forward again. Furious swings failed to introduce his skull to the end of Dave's weapon, and both exited the house to continue the fight outside, leaving Dave's parents inside. Sideways easily dodged every strike that came anywhere near him, thanks to his experience, although some of them were really too close for comfort.

"Good sword." The black haired man smirked, nodding. Both were in the middle of the clearing where Dave's house stood; Dave's white ponytail, and his opponent's long hair and coat blew in the night's fresh breeze, the pale rays of the moon playing over both set faces.

"But you're totally untrained for its real power." The black-haired man grinned again, glancing at the other one, already out of breath and sweating.

"And the Matrix?" He asked casually, and soon his crimson eyes fell on the horse that was standing not far from the two duellers. "Aww, you spared me the trouble!" He chuckled, twirling his sword. "Remind me to thank you, before I rip your head off!"

As soon as the last word was off his tongue, he launched a flying kick, that the battle-weary Saviour dodged by somersaulting and landing a kick that drove a startled Sideways back a good length. Now mad, the Decepticon pretender lunged at Dave again, slipping a kick neatly past the raised black sword. The startled Saviour couldn't dodge, and got a foot banged into his broad chest, knocking him to his back.

"You look a bit distracted…" Sideways smirked down at him.

"I'm perfectly focused." Dave countered, gritting his teeth as he forced his body to rise.

"Then allow me to do you a favour," The Decepticon said, before starting toward the open door of the house. "Let me show you _true_ Illumination!" he crackled, as both his hands were wreathed in fire. Something like a fireball then appeared, and was promptly propelled forward, erupting into a blazing jet, and causing a huge belch of fire to explode in the house.

"NO!!" Dave yelled, as more flames roared up in the small house; trying to run to his parents that were still inside, he was blocked by Sideways.

"They were breaking your concentration!" he smirked, mockingly.

"Now I'll break you!" With a fresh yell, Dave charged, swinging the sword as if trying to break every home run record ever set.

Sideways evaded the strikes with ease. "Too slow, _Saviour_." He spat the last word like it was poison.

Dave unsheathed the swords hanging at his waist, and threw them both like a javelin, but Sideways merely back-flipped out of the way, as the weapons stuck in the ground. Sullen frustration was stencilled on his face in big block letters, as he moved to pull his weapons free. He stopped, however, when Sideways neared his horse, and took the envelop containing the Matrix of Leadership.

"And thank you!" he winked, as he jumped up, landing on a high branch, and starting to run from one tree to the next.

Using reflexes and strength he didn't know he possessed, Dave hauled himself up on the same branch Sideways landed on, and began to leap after the Decepticon across the high boughs.

***~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~***

Few minutes later, a running blond girl came to a halt in front of the now burning house. Skyblade panted, looking behind her as she heard Jetfire's approaching.

"This isn't good." The old pretender said needlessly, glancing at the house that stood out perfectly in the night sky.

Skyblade's eyes briefly glowed as she looked at the house. "My bio scanners show two life signs, but they're weak!" she said alarmed, turning to the older Seeker.

"Stand back," was all Jetfire said as he took a step forward, and, raising his hands upward, Skyblade stared transfixed as he practically sucked up all the fire that was burning down the building, clearing the flaming house with ease.

"WOW!" that's what escaped her startled lips.

"Yeah." Jetfire agreed, panting a bit, as he too glanced at the outcome. "Luckily, this old bot still had some 'inner fire' within him!" he winked at her.

That said, the younger Seeker ran inside the darkened house, and exited it moments later, dragging both Dave's parents with her. They looked a bit blacker than last time she saw them, and were coughing sporadically, but over all they were alive. In between Richard's deep breaths, and Akiko's sobs, Jetfire managed to understand that Drift was fighting Sideways all by himself.

"I sure hope he survives." Skyblade sighed, taking few steps forward and clapping her hands together in a praying manner, watching the general direction that Drift should have taken. "After all, the bot is our only hope."

"No, there is another one." Jetfire said solemnly, coming at her side.

The blonde turned her head to the old man, raising an eyebrow surprised. "Really?!"

"Well, no. But I was feeling like saying it!" Jetfire happily replied, smiling goofily as he scratched the back of his head.

_Please, George Lucas, forgive us!_ Skyblade thought as she face-palmed herself.

***~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~***

Traversing the forest, the two contenders came near a lake. The placid waters were slightly raffled by the fresh breeze, while there weren't animals out this night. Maybe they felt the tension and determination coming off the two duellers. Who knows?

As they continued to leap from branch to branch, out of the blue Sideways whirled to face his opponent with a sudden string of blows; Dave was forced to dodge, and try a few counterattacks, that stopped when the Decepticon got him in a headlock, bringing them both in a precarious position. Still struggling to get free, Dave swung his leg straight ahead, and up to kick his capturer's face, forcing him to break the hold.

Finally they paused their skirmish, landing mostly gracefully on the grass of the shore of the lake, both trying to catch their breath and clear their heads.

"Already out of breath, brat?" Sideways asked the panting man, although he wasn't in a better condition.

After few seconds filled with both Sideways and Dave gasping for breath, they engaged each other yet again.

The white-haired pretender was easily sidestepped by Sideways, who then countered with a palm thrust that drove Dave to his knees. Taking advantage of this new angle of attack, he tried a low roundhouse kick that the Decepticon avoided without difficulty. Landing several feet away from him, Sideways watched amused as his opponent stood up.

"Good, brat." He scorned him. "You're doing much better than last time. A few more years of training, and you might actually pose a threat."

"My name is Dave!"

With that said, he propelled himself in a high backward jump that carried him toward his enemy's face again, but Sideways grabbed his legs, swing him low to scrape the ground, and ended by hurling him toward the lake.

The screaming Dave found himself both impressed and shocked as he landed in a crouched position directly on the small wood deck that the villagers built. After being stunningly good at stopping himself from flying into the water, the young man, dazed a bit, struggled to lift his head.

"If you're the Saviour then you must be that traitor named Drift." Dave snapped back to full consciousness in a hurry once he saw Sideways coming straight down toward him. "Oh, well. Who the Pit cares?!"

When the Decepticon spat that line, he was still airborne, and then one of his gloved fists slammed into the wooden deck, just missing Dave thanks to his last-second dodge. Withdrawing his hand from the hole he had smashed in the wood, Sideways stood up, cracking his knuckles, as Dave's eyes narrowed in pure hatred.

The Saviour ran towards the Decepticon, his long sword unsheathed, and ready to be used. The sound of metal crashing against metal told that Sideways had been able to parry the blow. Still standing mere meters from the water, on the small deck, the two leaned in at each other with their full weight. Slowly but surely, Sideways overpowered Dave, forcing him back, then caught him before the boy could fall.

"And now…" he said as Dave was put face-to-face with those menacing red eyes yet again. "Farewell!"

That said, his fist opened, and Dave felt gravity slowly claiming his body. However it didn't have that chance: Sideways' foot connected with Dave's chest, and he was sent flying into the cold water, as the Decepticon took the chance to run away.

Dave was falling deeper and deeper, though moving ever so slowly, as he was swallowed by an unfeeling and lulling calm of celestial blue. The world was slipping into shadow, as he continued to sink in the water.

The cold stabbed him like a well sharpened sword, crushing his collapsing lungs, and inflaming all the bruises the fight left on his body. His numb limbs wouldn't respond any longer. It should hurt and it did, reminding him that he was still somehow alive.

His mind wasn't on the pain, though. No. The images that flashed before his eyes were those of all the people his frightened heart knew he had betrayed. He was dying, and yet, he couldn't help feeling guilty. He had been reckless and stupid, and he knew it.

Few silver locks freed themselves from his band, starting to swarm about him. Though he could feel it no more, one outstretched hand entered his vision, extending desperately toward the land of the living, even though there was no one there to reach out to it. Life continued without him. He was bound to sink down further, and be forgotten.

His eyes, blue like the abyss that was swallowing him, were getting so very, very heavy as sleep began to claim his numb body. He was too tired to fight back: the icy water, or perhaps his wish to erase his guilt, had smothered his will to survive. Drowsily, he realized that the stretched arm was retracting, defeated.

And yet, he couldn't spill fully into the underworld.

Something had pulled him back: something strong and warm… and bright. It had enveloped the wrist of the once reaching hand, pulling it forward again, toward the barrier of the living.

Breaking the icy surface of the water felt like being born again. It was intensely painful, for the air inflamed deprived lungs more than the lack of it. It was terrifying, because the world shined with wild colours intent on blaring and blinding ferociously. It was blissful and saving, because of the holy figures blurring brightly before his eyes.

His blue orbs snapped open, as his rapid breathing and pulse shook his wet frame. His sight finally came into focus, just as something warm was rubbing the numbness away from his back. His unfeeling, slightly purple lips quivered with cold.

"It's ok," a soft and feminine voice reassured him, while caressing his plastered hair in a soothing manner.

Lifting his foggy head from her warm arm to look up at her, he let her see the guilt reflecting in the depths of his blue orbs.

"I… failed…" a trembling, feeble voice, almost too low even for her audio receptors to pick up, whispered, as his face set in an expression that begged forgiveness.

Her glowing red eyes were reluctant, but she turned ahead, locking them with older ones, just as worried as they were.

Dave could now feel Jetfire's presence behind him, as he pulled the thick blanket tighter around his drenched clothes. "Don't worry now,"

Though reassuring, his words did nothing to heave his pain. Bracing the arm that saved him with his free one, he buried his head deeper into the warmth of Skyblade's coat sleeve, before allowing himself to cry.

***~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~***

In the middle of a forest, just where Skyblade had disappeared into the night before, a bunch of mismatched creatures was trying to break through a tough barrier, so far with no success. When the Swarms retreated, a blazing scythe cut through the air, barely missing one of the monsters, and scraped the greenish shield, but left no mark on it.

The owner of the weapon growled under his breath. They stayed there trying to break the damn thing all night long, and dawn was already peeking through the dark of the ending night. Frustrated, Barricade took the scythe in his right hand, while he spun the chain with the lead weight in his left, much like a lasso, and released it a moment later.

Again the impact sent small waves throughout the barrier, but yet again they just dissipated, leaving the shield unscratched.

"FIRE!!" He turned and yelled, angered and annoyed.

The Swarms looked at each other for a moment, giving their commander time to walk behind them, and then they spat their acid-like saliva at unison. The corrosive substance lingered in its bubbling state for some kliks on the barrier, but without any real effect on it.

The young human pretender gritted his teeth, and shouted the order again, for what seemed the twentieth time that hour.

Meanwhile from the other side of the barrier, Sideways was making his way to the Gate as fast as he possibly could. He knew that Skyblade and Jetfire would have found the Saviour by now. His scanners picked up their signals, so he was sure they made it in time to save the young boy who had been fool enough to cross swords with him.

The black-haired man felt the enveloped Matrix pulse slightly in his hand, signalling that he was nearing the 'Gate', the only open on the impenetrable shield the Autobots set up. Even though an activation code was required, the one Skyblade used when she entered, with the powerful artefact in his possession, Sideways was sure he wouldn't have trouble crossing the barrier.

Suddenly, he saw a section of the shield becoming lighter and lighter, and immediately made a run for it, as he could see the trees that surrounded the other side, the same trees the young Seeker cut the night before. He did it. He was free. He could go back to Starscream, and nothing would stop him.

"FIRE!!"

Was all Sideways heard, before he was washed in a handful of disgusting green goo. Only thanks to the shield the powerful Matrix of Leadership created did Sideways survive the acid stuff.

Stunned and shocked that the barrier opened up so easily, Barricade held up a hand, signalling for the Swarms not to attack, while he went to investigate.

"OOOOOWWWW!!!" Sideways yelled, giving Barricade time to run up to him. "You idiot!! I'm on your side!!"

"Sideways?!" Barricade exclaimed surprised, watching awestruck as the black-haired man dusted himself off as he stood, a not amused expression on his face.

"What the Pit?!" Sideways shouted.

"Uh… sorry?" Barricade shrugged.

Sideways sighed annoyed, and rolled his eyes. "Quick. We must go back to Starscream ASAP. The Saviour and that Seeker-bitch are on their way." He informed him, getting serious all of a sudden.

"What?" Surprise coloured Barricade's face, but he quickly composed himself. "The space-bridge we used to get here is damaged. The Auto-scum ambushed us, but we defeated them." The spiked-haired young commander gave the other one the status. "We have to walk."

"How 'bout Skywarp?" Sideways asked annoyed.

Barricade groaned. "Busy and snobbish like any flyer." His companion nodded. "But, wait a nano-klik… Did you just say that the Saviour's coming?"

Sideways nodded. "Along with the cute, little traitor. Yes."

"Great." Barricade groaned again. "I can't imagine how thrilled Starscream will be…" sarcasm dripped from every word.

"Then it's a good thing…" Sideways started, taking out the envelop and starting to unwrap the cloth covering it. Barricade's eyebrow raised as he watched every movement made by his comrade, until their features lit up, taking a shade of azure, as a warm light played with their faces, coming from the once covered artefact. "…that I have this."

Barricade smirked.

***~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~***

"Goodbye, and thank you for everything." Skyblade hugged Drift's mother, being careful not to crush the woman in the process.

"Take care of him." Akiko cast a glance in Dave's direction.

"Will do." Skyblade smiled, nodding.

"And don't forget us." Richard added, shaking the pretender's offered hand. This time she didn't crush it.

"I won't!" Skyblade shook her head, smiling in a very childish manner.

"Sky, we have to go." Jetfire called, causing the Seeker to sigh.

She walked away, pausing to look at her old mentor as he readied the horses, then continuing until she was standing beside a thinking Drift.

He had changed his clothing, now looking halfway between a ninja and a samurai. He was wearing a black jacket with overlapping lapels which was tucked into his loose black trousers with double-ties, tucked into white boots; he was also wearing a white armour with red stripes consisting in breastplate, shoulder-plates, and arm-and-hand guards.

Drift was absent-mindedly playing with a red piece of cloth, that was used as a belt to keep the armour in place, in which his two swords were tied, while the Sword of Freedom was strapped on his back.

"You're not going to bide your parents goodbye?"

He sighed, stopping fidgeting with the cloth.

"Look, Drift," she failed to notice him wincing at the unfamiliarity of the name. "I know your parents lied to you, but it was just because they wanted to protect you. Remember that adopting a child is a great act of love."

Dave looked at her for the first time, feeling her words were true.

Skyblade smiled. "Go tell them goodbye. You owe them that. You didn't belong to their world, but they loved you anyway… they loved you so much to know when it was time to let you go."

That said, she walked to Jetfire, helping him out.

Dave stood alone a bit longer, hesitating. It wasn't that he didn't want to bide his parents goodbye because they lied to him, but he felt still guilty for putting them in danger with his recklessness. Finally bracing his courage, he turned and walked up to Akiko and Richard.

"Please, son. Forgive us." Richard said, once Dave stopped in front of him.

Dave winced as he heard the word 'son'. He smiled internally. No matter what he did, or he felt guilty, his parents will always forgive him.

"We lied to you. We wanted to tell you the truth, but…" Akiko trailed off.

"…Truth is…" Richard took over for his wife. "We loved you so much, even though you're not exactly our son…"

But you still treat me like I am… Dave thought, keeping his head still low, his eyes glued to the ground.

"Dave…" Akiko said softly, and the said boy winched again. He'd have to get used to be called Drift; he felt he no longer deserved to be Dave. "I'm sorry…" A small sob escaped her lips, and that was all it took the white-haired man to look up at her.

"You have nothing to apologize for!" he said, tears already sparkling into his blue eyes, as he hugged the shorter woman. "I don't care what everyone say. I'm proud of being considered your son." He mumbled, his face buried in the woman's light purple kimono.

"And we're proud of you." Richard said, as he hugged the both of them.

"Please, don't forget us!" Akiko smiled sadly as she let go of the person she loved like a son.

"How could I? I doesn't matter if I'm not your son, you're the ones who raised me with love, you're the ones I'll forever call mom and dad." Dave proudly said.

He wished that moment could last a bit longer, his eyes caressing kindly the two people who gave him more love than he could have asked for.

"Drift! It's time!!" Jetfire called, he and Skyblade already on the back of their horses.

He sighed. "Goodbye! I'll come back once I'm through with my mission!" the white-haired man promised, turning to climb on Lesley's back.

"Good luck!" Richard said, but then added in his mind,_ …and, please come back in one piece_.

"Stay safe, everyone!" Akiko called, waving at them, as her husband put his arm around her shoulder.

The three of them waved, as their horses started to calmly walk toward the barrier.

Jetfire's light brown horse came up beside Lesley, while Skyblade's black one walked next to her mentor's.

"Well?" Jetfire asked.

"Well what?" the young man asked back, just looking ahead of him.

"Are you sure you're ready?" Jetfire clarified.

A deep sigh. "Not yet." He admitted, then he turned to Jetfire with a smirk. "But I'll be."

"You can be satisfied for one day." Skyblade said, dragging the attention on her. "You've already took the longest stride." She explained. "You said goodbye to the world that loved you so much, to say hello to the one that hates you…"

Silence met her statement, clear omen of what could be waiting for him on the other side of the barrier.

"Sky…" Jetfire scolded. "No need to scare the bot."

She blushed, and scratched her head. "Oops, sorry… Dave."

"Drift…" he corrected her with a smile. "Call me Drift."

Skyblade gave him a smile of her own, and Jetfire nodded approvingly. He knew that it would take time, but he had the feeling this ex-Decepticon learned fast.

"So… I guess we're in a little bit of a hurry…" he started, and Skyblade nodded. Silence hung for a few kliks, before Drift broke it smugly, "Last one's a loser!!" he yelled, before hitting the reins, and taking off at full speed.

Skyblade and Jetfire stood dumbfounded for a brief instant, before the girl chuckled lightly and took off behind the Saviour.

Yes, Jetfire decided, as he followed the two younger pretenders at a much less speed. It would take time, and he sure learned fast. If only Drift could be a little less… reckless. Damn younglings!!

***~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~***

**A/N:** Oh, yeah! Things are gonna get interesting!! So how was it? Good? Bad? Enjoyable at least?

**Next time:** Drift, Jetfire and Skyblade arrives in the city of Yuss. Things will get very, very interesting!! Don't miss it!!

Until next time… See ya! ;-)


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